Once Upon a Dream
by xtremelyblonde
Summary: Simply a fairy story. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

Once Upon a Dream

I flitted high above the ground, trying to lose them, but they, even though they could not fly as high as I, still stubbornly stayed on my tail, calling out my name.

"Usagi, Usagi!" they cried, attempting to pull me to the ground with their powers, but I flew every higher, just to annoy them. I was Princess Serenity, daughter of Ana, Queen of All Fairies. My mother dressed in elegant dresses that weighed her down so, that she could not fly for the weight. I preferred my short dress, made of bits of leaves and feathers. It revealed most of my body, but it allowed me to fly without restrictions.

I spun to avoid a bird and lurched to the side to avoid a branch. I felt them, my royal entourage, try to pull me to the ground again. They could fly only just above the ground. I flew ever higher. I was almost in the realm of the cloud people. I popped above the clouds to skim just above them and wave to the few I knew. Then, I plunged deep down into a lake I knew was just below me. There, I saw Gwragged Annwn, the lady of the lake, and her daughter, Rusalka. Rusalka was a good friend of mine, as we had grown up together, dancing in the moonlight, flowers flowing in our hair, while sprites, smaller than fairies, threw flower petals at us. I, however, could not stop to chat with Rusalka. I was on a mission to lose my entourage, simply so that I knew I could. When I resurfaced from my dip in the slightly chilled lake, they were skimming across the water, right behind me. I made to fly around a patch of reeds, but suddenly, I was flat on my behind, and staring up at the most wondrously handsome fairy that I had ever seen. How it had come to pass that I had never met this fairy, with his dark hair and brilliant sapphire eyes, I did not know. He helped me up, and the touch of his hand sent shivers down my back.

"In a bit of a hurry now, are you?" he asked. I nearly drowned in his voice; it was so deep and rich.

"Yes, I am," I replied. My cheeks were still flushed, and a smile split my face as I peered around the reeds. I watched my entourage set down and begin to scratch their heads.

"Are you hurt at all?" the other fairy asked. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the reeds, being careful not to rustle them at all.

"Shhhh," I said, putting my finger to my mouth. I shook my head in answer to his question.

"What are we doing in here?" he whispered into my ear.

"Hiding," I grinned.

"From whom?" he asked. I pointed at the fairies currently looking very confused. His eyes lit with understanding and glee. Suddenly, my entourage was pushing through the reeds and calling out.

"Usagi! Usagi? Where are you?" I took his hand and exploded from the reeds straight up into the sky. He looked very confused.

"I'm trying to escape for a day!" I laughed, exhilarated to have an accomplice.

"If that's the case…," he smiled and began pulling me forward. I was taken aback by this. Only royal fairies were supposed to be able to fly so high. Perhaps it was different in his troupe.

We flew for a quarter of a mile, and when we set down, he immediately began pushing into some grass and weeds. Confused at what he was doing, I asked him. He simply smiled back at me and told me to follow him. I trusted him, so I did as he asked. Soon, we happened upon a door, and he pushed it open and entered. I entered right behind him and heard him calling out to someone.

"Auntie Befana! It's me. I've brought a guest for you!" he called out. A kindly old woman came bustling out from what I can only assume was a kitchen, for it smelled of fresh baked bread and biscuits. She came and embraced my companion with thick arms.

"Mamoru! How nice of you to drop by. And to bring such a pretty visitor!" She turned to me then. "And just whom might she be?" she asked.

"My name is Usagi, ma'am," I said, giving my nickname before Mamoru could fumble.

"How nice to meet you, Usagi," Befana said, clasping my hand in both of her own. "Now, how 'bout you two have a seat, and I'll get some tea going," she said, leaving with a grin. Mamoru led me to a table and sat me down, before sitting opposite of me.

"Now, Usagi, to be formally introduced, I am Prince Endymion, son of Mab, Empress of the Fairies. I am known also as Mamoru, and that is what I prefer to be called. How was it that you came to be fleeing from those fairies?" he asked. I was astonished for a moment. Prince Endymion? Son of Mab? So that was why he was able to fly so high. I had, of course, heard of him, and possibly caught glimpses of him at banquets in the past, but apparently none as memorable as now. I had met his mother, Mab, quite a few times and found her quite agreeable.

"I am Princess Serenity, daughter of Ana, Queen of All Fairies. I was simply trying to escape from my royal entourage so that I could enjoy a day of flying," I grinned at Mamoru. "I am also called Usagi, because of my love of rabbits," I said, my smile getting wider. "How was it that you happened to be behind those reeds at that particular moment in time?" I asked.

"Well, you see, I was in search of a leprechaun to make me a new pair of boots, but I got quite lost and was trying to get my bearings when you so rudely slammed into me," he laughed, poking fun at my expense. I laughed as well, although I turned slightly red as I was doing so.

"Do princesses always go around in such revealing clothing?" Mamoru asked, once he had stopped laughing quite so hard.

"No," I blushed deeper. "It's comfortable for flying. Not so restricting, see?" I said flying up a bit.

"Ah, yes, I see," Mamoru was about to say something else when Befana came out with tea and biscuits. I enjoyed them very much. When we were done, and I was sure that I had lost my entourage, we wished Befana farewell and left her house, pushing out past the grass again. As we stood on the gravel, I began to grind my toe into the dirt, feeling nervous, as if I was just learning to fly again.

"Well, I suppose we should both get going," Mamoru announced after glancing around uncomfortably and clearing his throat. "Perhaps I'll see you around," he said.

"Yes, perhaps," I all but whispered in the general direction of the ground. I felt a little wind, and when I looked up, Mamoru was high above me. I didn't feel like flying anywhere else, and so I took off and headed for home, home being a beautiful sprawling castle in the high mountains.

When I returned home, I opened the huge wooden door just slightly, crept inside, and then picked my way across the main hall. I knew my mother would be in a mood from my leaving, and would probably call on me later, but I wanted to delay that for as long as possible. Unfortunately, "as long as possible" wasn't very long at all. Almost as soon as I had entered my room, a knock sounded on my door and I was summoned to my mother's chambers.

"Princess Serenity, your Highness," the butler bowed at my mother and then left the room. I rather wish he hadn't. My mother had a look on her face that could kill thousands. I bowed at my mother, simply because curtsying is rather hard when your skirt is only half way to your knees.

"That dress!" my mother fumed. "And running away! How could you?" she asked as she rose from her throne. "You know that we have a banquet to prepare for in a few days time, and I already told you that I need you to set a good example!" she yelled at me.

"I am sorry mother," I said, keeping my head down. Humility was important in front of her. "It was perfect for flying today, and you know I can't resist a good fly! However, speaking of the banquet, I have a request," I knew this would at least change the subject.

"Yes?" she asked, barely containing her anger.

"Might we invite Empress Mab and her son, Prince Endymion?" I asked in a low voice. My mother looked at me curiously.

"Mab is, of course, already invited, but Endymion? How do you know him?" she asked.

"I ran into him today while I was out," I stated.

"You two used to hate each other. He would tease you mercilessly and you would hit him right back. I remember you gave him several black eyes," she said.

"I did?" I said, looking up. My mother nodded. So that was why he had teased me so about running into him. "I guess I blocked that out of my memory,"

"Well, rightly so. It was horrendous how he teased you, and you were only just five or six. However, now that you are seventeen, I suppose it is time to start looking for a suitor for you, and if you have taken a fancy to him, Prince Endymion is just the perfect one," my mother stated.

a/n: love it? Hate it? It's rather long, I know, but, let me know if I should continue writing, because I'm rather enjoying writing it .


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Once Upon a Dream

I didn't feel like returning home right away, so I flew around a bit, trying to figure out what was going on in my brain. When the palace finally came into view, it was dusk. I entered and found that my mother was watching her butterflies being settled for the night.

"Mother," I bowed. She waved me up and gestured for me to follow her.

"Hello, my son. How did the search for the leprechaun go?" she asked me.

"I didn't actually find him, but I did run into the most interesting character while I was searching for him," I said.

"Mmm, well, before you start into that, we have been invited, both of us, to a banquet being held by Queen Ana and her daughter, Princess Serenity. Are you interested in going at all? I will be going either way, but I figured since both of us were invited, I'd ask you, as well. It would seem that Serenity has forgiven you for teasing her," my mother said, with a smile.

"Oh, yes, I am quite interested in it. In fact, the character whom I ran into was Princess Serenity," I smiled back, just as much pleased as my mother was. She had let me in on the little secret that Usagi and I had been betrothed for a number of years. Since we had no interest in one another as youngsters, the decision had been made that we would be kept separated until we were older, and if we still showed no interest in the other one, then the betrothal would be broken and we would be left to find our own spouses (A/N: fairies have no problem marrying with fairies of lower status). However, if interest was shown in the other, then she would not be told, and I would court her as normal, so that no pressure was laid upon her, and she would feel as if she married for love.

My father had been Ana's nearest male relative: a second cousin of considerable wealth. The same had happened in reverse for Usagi's father. There were not many male fairies of nobility born, so when I had been born, it was a grand surprise. All of the magical creatures had been to my christening. Mine and Usagi's betrothal was decided upon right before both my father and hers had both been killed. They had led the fairy armies into war against the hobgoblins, and had both been killed in battle. This was a very sad time for the fairy people. A great many males had been slaughtered in cold blood, but more hobgoblins were killed, and they gave up after just half a year.

After the wars, there were no celebrations for two years. The fairy community was in a period of mourning. However, after that, Ana took charge and began to rebuild the spirit of her people. She began holding banquets and inviting everybody from the eight corners of her kingdom. You see, Ana is queen of all the fairies and there are also the empresses of the North, Northeast, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, and Northwest. Usagi's best friends were the princesses from N, NE, E, S, SW, and NW. North was Ami, Northeast was Rei, East was Makoto, South was Minako, Southwest was Michiru, and Northwest was Haruka. West was the realm of Mab and Mamoru.

(A/N: I swear, back to the story!)

"She was running away for the day," I laughed to my mother. "I took her to Auntie Befana's place, and we had tea."

"Oh, you naughty boy," my mother pretended to be cross and playfully hit my arm. I laughed. My mother had always been a teaser. "The banquet is in two days," my mother said as we reached the door to her chambers. "I will see you tomorrow, my son," she said, kissing my cheeks. I bowed to her as she left me, and then wandered down the hall to my own chambers. Once there, I fell onto my bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering if Usagi really was interested in me, or if she knew who I was and was just playing along. She had seemed generally surprised to find out who I was. Tucking my hands behind my head, I frowned. Usagi was making a mess of me already, and I had only been with her for a couple of hours this afternoon.

I didn't know what was wrong with me. I just couldn't get her out of my head! Her laugh, her smile, her eyes, her hair... She was one of the most beautiful creatures that I had ever met in my life. I knew she was going to be even more beautiful at the banquet. I sat up suddenly. An idea had come to me, and I knew what I was going to do to win her over. I was going to take her dance card and dance every dance with her. I laid back down with a contented grin on my face, and proceeded to fall asleep.

_I was flying through a forest, dressed in royal attire. I came upon a tower, made of gold and precious stones. There wasn't a door in the base, and the only way in was by a terrace on the outside. I landed and entered through a door covered in flowing linens. The room was all gold and beautiful. There were windows all around, with the sun shining in and bouncing off of everything. The pillars were mirrors inlaid with gold. There was a canopied bed in the middle of the room, covered in silver fabric. On the other side of the room was another terrace, which I didn't remember seeing on the way up. Standing there, with her back to me, was a woman. Her wings were gold and silver. Her dress was white and covered in rhinestones. Her beautiful gold hair was pulled up. I stared at her back in astonishment, and then started towards her. She turned towards me and her face was obscured by the sunlight in my eyes. All I could see were her eyes; beautiful pools of light blue, surrounded by diamonds... _

I sat up with a start and looked around at my now dark room.

"What was that… were was I?" I asked no one but the shadows in the corners. I rubbed my head, thinking that I must have hit it, but I felt no lumps. "I'm just overtired, that's all," I said, once again, to the shadows. I got up and changed out of my every day clothes and into my silken sleeping boxers. I went to sleep again with the notion in my mind that it was 3 AM, and the morning of the banquet.

A/N: well, I updated… I don't think I've been this excited about a story in a while! AND, I actually know where this story is going! Ha! Anyways, leave me comments so that I know what you think about it, and let me know if there's anything I can change, or questions that you have, or, whatever! I just love comments 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

-

Once Upon a Dream

-

I peeked from behind the curtain and watched all of the fairies dancing.

"Serenity, get away from there," my mother yelled sharply.

"Sorry mother," I turned from the curtain towards my mother. People had a habit of mistaking us for twins. We looked exactly the same except that my mother had a few more wrinkles, her hair was silver instead of gold, and her eyes were one shade of blue darker than mine were. I curtsied towards my mother and returned to her side. I was wearing a pure white, empire waisted dress. It went to the floor and my gold flats poked out from the bottom just a bit. It was strapless, and I had designs on my exposed chest and shoulders in gold foil. My crown was just a strip of gold that went around my forehead and was almost totally covered by my bangs. My hair was in odangos, the usual style for my royal lineage. It was pretty much two pigtails, but the top part were buns. I only wore them on special occasions, as did my mother, as it was fairly difficult to have our hair stay in the buns, and I usually took them out by the end of the night anyways.

"Are you ready, ladies?" an announcer came in from one of the hallways to ask. My mother looked at me and I nodded.

"Yes, we are ready," my mother told the announcer. He nodded towards the maid holding the curtain pull, and the curtain rose up.

"Presenting her majesty, Queen Ana, Queen of all fairies, and her daughter, Princess Serenity, heiress to the throne," he announced. My mother took my arm and we descended the main staircase. I smiled and waved at my future people. About half way down the staircase, my mother and I parted to opposite sides so that our escorts could bring us to our thrones, on the other side of the room. My mother had her usual escort, and I was expecting Jim, my usual escort, to be there as well, but as I glanced towards the bottom of the staircase, instead of Jim, Mamoru was standing there. Surprise filled my eyes, but I managed to maintain my composure as I made my way down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, I took his arm, just as my mother took the arm of his escort, and the fairies parted to let us through.

"Prince Endymion," I looked up at him and nodded.

"Please lady, call my Mamoru," he smiled at me and gave me a smart aleck look. I rolled my eyes and half pulled him along. "What's the hurry?"

"I'm trying to get rid of you," I said sarcastically. He laughed a little.

"Oh, but you're so cute. Those things on top of your head look like meatballs," he said. I pretended to be hurt and elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

"I only wear it like this because I have to," I pouted at him.

"I'm sorry," he patted my hand. As I stepped on to the platform and sat in my throne, Mamoru bowed to me. "Princess, might I have the pleasure of signing your dance card?" he murmured. I nodded and handed it to him. He took it and signed it. When he handed it back to me, I glanced at it and realized that he had signed himself up for every other dance with me, including the first and the last. I looked up as he gave a cheeky grin and winked at me, then whirled away.

Before the dancing could begin, my mother and I had to greet our people. They filed past us, first me, and then my mother. The last person in line was Mamoru once again, holding out his arm for the dance. I sighed and took it, rolling my eyes as I did.

The first dance was the traditional fairien dance. Everybody knew it practically from the time they were born. It was the opening to all the balls. It got boring after a while, but Mamoru was a good dancer, and we held animated conversation throughout the dance, all the while keeping up the proper posture and steps. When the next dance began, Mamoru bowed out and the Lord next on my list stepped forward. He was pleasant enough, but I was surprised to find myself missing Mamoru! Not for long, because he came and collected me when the next song began; the waltz, one of my favorites.

'One, two, three, one, two, three…" I counted to myself silently as we glided around the dance floor. I was so involved in my counting that I didn't realize Mamoru had leaned forward.

"Miss me?" his warm breath tickled my ear. I turned red.

"You wish," I grinned sheepishly. I knew he could see right through it.

"You don't have to deny it, Princess," Mamoru said as he dipped me slightly. I smiled to myself inwardly. It was there and then, in the middle of the dip, that I realized that I was falling for him. My eyes got large, and after he brought me up from the dip, I didn't continue dancing. I clung to him in the middle of the dance floor.

"Usagi, are you ill?" Mamoru whispered hurriedly into my ear, concern evident in his voice.

"I-I think I am," I said.

"Let me return you to your throne then," I pushed his hands away.

"I'm quite capable of taking care of myself," I said, but as I turned from him, my knees buckled with this sudden realization.

"No, I don't think you are. I insist, Princess," he said, half carrying me back to my throne. I nearly fell into it, glad that I had something stable beneath me. I noticed that Mamoru didn't go back out onto the dance floor, but pulled up a stool and sat beside me.

"Prince, you don't have to sit here. Please, don't let me keep you from your fun," I said. He took my hand in his and kissed it.

"My princess, you _are_ my fun," he stated with a lopsided grin. Suddenly, there was a collective gasp from the dance floor, and everybody stopped dancing as one.

A/N: cliffhanger, yay! Yeah, I know, Mamoru is a little corny, but, you get the point, right? Goodness, I hope you do, otherwise you have problems!

Anyways, to clear up some questions that I KNOW will be coming my way: fairies (in my head at least) experience love differently than humans. They actually have physical "symptoms" (dunno if that's the correct term). That's why she was all weak kneed. But it's only until they acknowledge it. Anyways, I hope to get the next chapter out sooner. I've had some personal problems… stupid exes… so leave me reviews to make me feel better! 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Do I really have to put these in here every time? You should know the drill by now.

-

Once Upon a Dream

-

Usagi didn't notice it, but unconsciously, her hand had grabbed Mamoru's and squeezed hard. He was wincing, but it suddenly didn't matter as he caught the smell. He knew that smell. It floated high above the many perfumes and flowers scenting the room. The crowd parted, and he caught sight of them. The hobgoblins.

Queen Ana stood up and told the nearest servant to close the curtain between the ballroom and the thrones. She turned to Usagi and Mamoru.

"Leave and get help," she muttered, and then she stepped between the curtains to face the enemy. "What do you want?" her commanding voice boomed. Usagi could imagine the ugly, smug face of the lead hobgoblin, his horrid lips contorted into the semblance of a smile. However, before she could hear his answer, Mamoru was pulling her hand, tugging her from the throne and to her feet. They ran to the nearest balcony, and Mamoru took off. Usagi was anguished.

"Hold on, Mamoru," she said as she looked down and her dress. Steeling herself, she ripped most of it off, and stepped out of the metal hoop holding it up. She then joined Mamoru in the sky. He flashed a quick smile, before they flew quickly away from the palace, so that they could figure out whom to get help from. Once again, they went to Befana's hut.

Mamoru pounded urgently on the door, and Befana came to the door with a big smile.

"What is it, Mamoru? Why here so late?" she asked.

"Hobgoblins attacked the ball!" he wasted no time. Befana's eyes got large, and she ushered them in right away.

"What now?" Befana murmured in low tones, as if afraid somebody would here.

"We were at the ball. Usagi was in her throne and I was sitting next to her. All of a sudden, the people gasped and we could smell the stench. Queen Ana told us to go and find help, and we left," Mamoru said in the same low tones.

"Oh dear, oh dear. I knew it would come to this some day," Befana started pacing the small space of the dining room. "The hobgoblins are not content to live peacefully while their enemies live. We _must_ get some help!" She said, ringing her hands.

"We could go to King Alberich. He would lend his dwarves to help. He helped the first time," Usagi said thoughtfully.

"And the elves! I know the elves would help us!" Mamoru said excitedly.

"And the gnomes, and the brownies, and the leprechauns, and the pixies!"

"Yes, they probably would, but before you go recruiting troops, please stay here a night. It was an awful fright you two had. I only have one extra bed, but I'm sure you two have no problem sharing it," Befana said with a sly wink to Mamoru; always the match maker, even now. "I'll go prepare some supper for us. I had only planned on me, but it will be no problem to whip something up for you two." Befana left in the direction of the kitchen, and Usagi had the dignity to blush slightly.

"You may take the bed, Mamoru," she said, staring at her slippered feet. "I will find somewhere else to sleep."

"No, my dear princess, you may take the bed. I am much more resilient than you are,"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Usagi glared.

"I only meant that-," Mamoru was interrupted as Befana came back into the room with a wonderful smelling soup and fresh bread. After gorging themselves on soup, bread, and milk, Usagi realized that she was very tired. She stood up, excused herself, and entered the room where the extra bed was. It was very large, and she just flopped down on it. As soon as she lay down, she was asleep.

Usagi awoke sometime in the middle of the night. She was right way on the bed and had a blanket draped over her. She looked at the couch at the other side of the room and saw Mamoru laying there asleep.

"Mamoru?" she whispered. He grunted and turned over in his sleep. "Mamoru?" she said a bit louder. He awoke and leaned up on his elbows.

"Usagi? Did you call me?" he asked.

"Yes,"

"What is it?"

"I'm scared. I don't like that we left my mother," she said, her voice wavering. Mamoru rose up from the couch and came and sat next to her on the bed.

"It will be alright, my princess," he said, collecting her into his arms. Her head fell into the nook between his shoulder and neck, and she began to sob quietly. Mamoru stroked her hair and felt her tears collecting on his shoulder. On impulse, he kissed her forehead. Usagi looked up at him and wiped her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Lay with me?" she asked innocently. Mamoru nodded. Usagi moved over and lay back down. Mamoru lay down beside her and held her close to him. She nuzzled closely to his chest, and Mamoru was surprised to feel his heart start beating faster.

"It will all be alright, my princess," he whispered to her.

"Mm hmm," she breathed. Soon, her breathing had slowed down, and Mamoru laid in wonder at how he got so lucky.

-

A/N: So? What do you think? Whose gonna help them?


End file.
